by Simon 25 Replies latest jw friends
I have known people over the years that would have "special" days, instead of birthday, or similar as posted about Christmas or Thanksgiving.
I think they were fooling themselves. In the hall I went to, if anyone did anything close to that, they would be df'd, that I can promise.
It seems that though they claim complete unity, it really just matters who is running the show in each congregation.
In all fairness to my parents however, we did have a "presents" day, a couple times a year. They were never around Christmas time though.
I know of many witnesses in the Sydney area who get together on Christmas Day. They excuse it by saying it's a public holiday, and it's the only time everyone has the same day off, but then, why do they do it on Christmas Day, and not Boxing Day? They usually congregate on a beach somewhere, have a picnic and a swim in the surf.
My family was ultra-strict, although as a kid I used to receive a "yearly present". This would be an extra-special gift, something that I especially wanted like a particular doll, a big Lego set or whatever. It died out as I got older, but it was the only thing my parents comprised on. Everything else we had to follow to the letter of the law.
I went through phases myself...from zealous to overly zealous and back to just ordinary. During my zealous days I used to be especially judgemental of others who were doing 'less' then I was...or who were 'weak'. Cliques are a terrible thing, and quite often you could find the zealots together back stabbing those less spiritual...that was me and my elderette buddies.
Now, as far as my own personal standing in the 'troof' goes, I prefer to be either one, or the other. In, or out...no mucking around. However, I also have have family in, and they are doing through an inactive patch (yipee) and instead of judging them, I salute them. My younger brother is asking us for ideas for what to buy his worldly girlfriend for xmas etc...and my younger sister snaps at her joho friends when they ask her about her meeting attendance. So now, I rejoice for those who's WT trained spirituality has declined.
~Beck~
Simon:
Hubby and I got around the dilemma by getting married on Dec twenty-something... and since wedding anniveraries are considered appropriate celebrations for dubs, we gave gifts and had a nice meal.
The first year we put up a tree, we called it our Anniversary Evergreen.
Love, Scully
Edited by - Scully on 27 November 2002 21:46:24
"you're not fooling anyone! If you want to celebrate Christmas then DO IT".
That's pretty much how I felt about it. I know a lot of witnesses looked down on those that did such things. My daughter in law's family always said "we don't need to be told when to give gifts, we give them year around". My daughter in law once told me "it's a nice thing to say, but it never happened."
I was guilty of doing that. I had parties over Christmas break with I love you presents. Once on December 24th !!! I had a big party for all the kids in the Brighton Congregation. One elder even dressed up like a clown and did magic tricks !! No one said a word to me and the elders who had kids all came. I was new in the truth so maybe they cut me some slack. I really never thought I was celebrating what ever holiday was near. I did it simply to try and make things easier for my kids.
jurs
Simon
Why bother going to a pretence when they obviously didn't believe in things (they can't really have thought they "got one over on God" did they?)
A little logic here.
Most witneses genuinely believe that god is watching them, so NO WAY can they believe that they have " got one over on god "
The only logical conclusion then, is that they have " got one over on the organisation ", which I see as a good thing, because it shows that witnesses seperate " what god wants " from "what the organisation wants".
This surely, is a sign that the witnesses who do these things realise that, at least in some things, the organisation is not speaking gods will.
In this I see that many have doubts about the organisations validity.
searcher.
What really got me was the witnesses that gave out magazines on Holloween. Isn't that celebrating the holiday? What matters "what" you are giving..you are still giving!
And on Wedding anniversaries?..I read that they should not use an anniversary as a excuse for a big get together!...A few years ago my JW inlaws were thrown a party by the witnesses in their area and their JW daughter in NY. Well I knew several of the witnesses from when we visited the JW in-laws.We even ate together. I thought this was odd but didn't question it. (I disassociated myself long ago)
Well hubby and I received an invitation addressed to both of us!
So I went out and bought a present and a new outfit!.It was their 50th anniversary. I was looking forward to seeing some of the relatives that were not witnesses at the party!.(They were also invited).
Well right before the party..I received a phone call long distance from his sister. She was on her way down here from NY but she wanted to talk to her JW brother (who was inactive) So I put him on the phone. She told him I was uninvited! They were afraid I might stumble someone. Well I felt they could have thought that one up before inviting me!. I was upset. So no one from my family went!..Which made me feel good.
Then when I found out they shouldn't have even been celebrating by having a big party..I was PO'd. What hypocrites!...And to this day..they can't see what they did wrong.
In our congregation....
Not to mention the party to welcome the new year in but they weren't celebrating "New Years"...Duh!
Or the "Hawaiian" party on one of the "Elders" daughters birthday!
Or the JW in laws sudden shoping spree to get presents for the grandkids the week before Christmas..They wouldn't wrap them and they would say .:Now this isn't for Christmas!"
Yeah right!...
Snoozy...Is that what you mean Simon?
My parents were pretty strict when I was growing up, but the one concession they'd allow was to go shopping the day AFTER Christmas and buy us each a couple of items (because everything was half price of course). There was no gift wrap or anything, so it conformed to the JW "rules" about not observing pagan holidays, etc.
I'll always remember one particular "gift".... a hand-held hairdryer with a brush attachment, in a then-fashionable pukey beigey green colour. It caught fire one of the first times I tried to use it. So, in addition to that "gift" I ended up getting a trip to the hairdressers too.
Love, Scully
